Graphic design lab gets facelift

In one of the first major steps to renovating several labs in the Caterpillar Global Communications Center, the graphics design lab received a bit of a facelift during the summer months.

The new design for the space was put together and built by Computer Facilities Supervisor Cory Rabe and Director of Industrial Technology Dave Lennie, both of the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts.

"We had a design in there that basically went back to when the building opened," Rabe said. "Instead of rows facing one way there is now a sort of star-shaped configuration. So basically we've taken it from an old-school design and set up a more modern and collaborative workspace."

According to Lennie, the design itself is centered on accommodating laptops, since the department as a whole is shifting to a laptop model. In the lab, each student has access to power sources for their devices.

There are also other features that allow for a more collaborative and interactive feel for classes.

"We are also going away from the projector model to flat screen TVs. It's more true to a computer screen. It's much better for the instructors to teach on the monitors," Rabe said. "The changes have been a push from both ways; the faculty members and the dean of the college, Dr. Jeffery Huberman."

This remodel is a first look at more renovations that will be made within the GCC in the future. There will most likely be updates within both of the main computer labs on the second floor of the building, as well as in the classrooms where speech courses are held.